The Next Idea Science Gallery has been described as a place where science and art collide. The result? Creative ways to tackle some of the world's biggest problems. The first Science Gallery Lab is in Dublin. Now, Michigan State University is launching Science Gallery Lab Detroit .

The Next Idea A few years before the Great Recession, I was an advisor to the Federal Reserve Bank. I provided some limited advice on how to stimulate growth through innovation. It was too little, too late. Many financial experts far more capable than myself tried to help prevent the imminent collapse. But the politicians were sure they knew more about our economic system than the experts. Hindsight proves they knew very little and it was the everyday American who suffered from their ignorance

The Next Idea Everyone from author Michael Pollan to climate change experts have suggested raising cattle for beef is hard on the environment. The amount of resources that go into producing a pound of beef are a lot greater than what it takes to produce a pound of chicken, for instance. Plus, in some cases, transporting beef further adds to its carbon footprint.

The Next Idea A recent headline in the Financial Times read, “ Vancouver seizes chance to lure Silicon Valley tech talent .” The mayor of Vancouver confirms that inquiries from U.S. tech companies have risen sharply in recent months. It’s no secret that Cisco Systems, Samsung and SAP have recently established a presence north of the border, but now it appears that Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook are all also considering their options. If this tire-kicking becomes a trend, it will

The Next Idea As goes a school, so goes the neighborhood. That’s the idea behind a new project by the group Life Remodeled, said founder and CEO Chris Lambert . Life Remodeled is a non-profit organization that invests about $5 million in a Detroit neighborhood project every year. This year’s project: turn the former Durfee Elementary and Middle School into a “community innovation center.”

The Next Idea “Inclusion. Acceptance. Support.” That’s the mission of Play-Place for Autistic Children . It’s a 25,000 square foot facility in Sterling Heights in Macomb County, and it's the first of its kind in this country. Play-Place is a nonprofit that gives kids who are on the autism spectrum a safe, fun, comfortable place to hang out and play with others. For parents and caregivers, it’s a place to find “me-too” conversations with someone who is also going through the challenges presented

The Next Idea West Michigan's got a bigger Latino population than the state average, but the number of Latino-owned businesses in the region has not been keeping pace. Ferris State University wants to change that with something called the Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI). Carlos Sanchez is director of the Latino Business and Economic Development Center at Ferris State. According to Sanchez, there are a number of barriers that are keeping the number of Latino businesses down in West

The Next Idea You may have missed it, but last summer Walmart got into some hot water with the Federal Trade Commission for its"Made in the U.S.A.” campaign. According the FTC, for a company to make that claim, all of a product’s components must be manufactured and assembled in the United States. In a globally integrated supply chain, how do you determine if something is “made” in a country?

The Next Idea Get kids started at an early age with the arts and the payoff could be better math, science and literacy skills, in addition to better overall learning skills. That’s the idea behind the Livings Arts' Detroit Wolf Trap Program . Its goal is to narrow the achievement gap between affluent and less-affluent areas through arts education.

The Next Idea Michiganders might be using electricity the wrong way. A new report indicates Michigan might be able to meet projected energy shortfalls if residents change how they use power. That would save having to build new, expensive power plants.